Judge signals Trump’s defamation lawsuit against Wall Street Journal may be dismissed again
Obama-appointed judge seemed unmoved by Trump attorneys’ arguments in case also naming Murdoch
TL;DR
- A federal judge in Florida expressed skepticism about arguments from Donald Trump's legal team in a $10bn defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal.
- The lawsuit centers on a July 2025 article about a letter reportedly from Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, which Trump denies authoring.
- The judge previously dismissed the case for insufficient pleading of actual malice but allowed Trump to refile.
- Trump's attorneys argued the Journal did not follow journalistic standards and could not have adequately investigated the claims.
- The judge seemed skeptical about claims of financial harm to Trump, calling them 'conclusory'.
- The Journal's lawyers argued that Trump's team failed to prove defamation and that the article was published responsibly, including Trump's denials.
- The judge did not issue a ruling but indicated one would come soon and agreed to stay discovery.